Pioneer Village

Great museum with a lot of really unique pieces representing the history of America. You have everything from an original covered wagon to a general store complete with many examples of original sale items, as well as three steam locomotives. Some of the exhibits are looking tired, but it’s good to see some effort being put in to helping keep the place up. Very glad to have had the chance to go back!

Incredible find! Amazing look at history from the 1800's to 1970's. We spent several hours here but the reality is that you need to spend multiple days here to see everything.

Great museum full of all sorts of vintage items and information and collections. Campground right on side which was handy for us! Nice little town it seemed! Took us about two hours to go through. Could have spent more time.

Best museum with ever been to in our lives. I wouldn't go when it's hot I recommend going here when it's cool so you can actually enjoy looking at all these beautiful items the entire day. I wish we had more time and it was cooler.

Never in my life have I ever seen such a collection of Americana so well chosen and displayed. Everything is in excellent condition and in chronological order. I learn a number of things during my visit

Excellent museum that documents the grith of America in cars, planes, carriages, collections of radio and filming, musical instruments and collections people hoarded. If you can think of it they have it 100 of 10 recommend everyone visit! Can't say that enough! They have an rv campground and will soon have a working classic carousel! We will be going back for sure because you MIGHT see everything in one day but 2 days would be better and we only had a couple of hours. A unique and wonderful place to visit and the staff was amazing! In our 2 month long trip through the states this was perhaps my favorite. And we went places like the DC museums and Universal studios. Tickets were $15 so VERY AFFORDABLE. Take the detour and visit!

This place is incredible! I stopped here on a whim and so happy I did. The collection they have is massive, even after 2 hours I didnt have enough time to see everything. For the price this is a must visit.

An absolute dynamite collection of items relating to early American to Industrial Revolution to Modern Invention and Innovation. A "must see" for EVERYONE no matter their background - they can surely learn something about how we became an industrialized nation.

My seven year old son and I visited this amazing place yesterday. This was the main highlight of our mini vacation. If you are a history buff, this place is for you! If you are a motor head, this place is for you! If you a hunter, this place is for you! If you are a fan of airplanes, this place is for you! I was amazed with all the items that are within the 26 different buildings. The pictures attached is a small glimpse of what is beheld. The main facility is a former car dealership from probably the 30s or 40s. They have a camp site right next to the campus. There is also a sign for a motel, next door, they own, but it did not look active.

Love it! So many interesting things that you wouldn't find anywhere else. Have visited them numerous times. Always see something I didn't see on a previous trip. This is such a great place to bring your children. It is good for them to see how far we have come in such a relatively short time. They have recently done a renovation on their buildings so it is cleaner than it used to be. It is a must see if you are anywhere near this area!!!!

Loved our visit. Did not expect soooo much to see. Thought would be quick stop but we spent 4 hours. Must visit place!!!!

Very nice people to deal with, relatively easy spaces to get into. Very interesting collection of Americana, and a much better drive than interstate 80!

Great pioneer village! We've been to many of these type places, this is definitely one of the best. Great high quality items. Amazing car collection easy walk on 20 acres but full of great things! Worth the stop.

This place is hard to rate because I would give it a 10 on the content. And I would probably give it a 2 on the upkeep. I came here as a kid and I didn't remember that much but what I did remember was it was a pristine very well-maintained incredible collection of history and innovation and it still is an incredible place to see history and see innovation like you haven't seen anywhere else, it just needs a lot of love and care and the guy that started this thing it's just incredible the thought to bring all these things together and not to make money but just to show people the history an ingenuity of all the people that have contributed it's really incredible. This place is absolutely priceless and I don't even think you could put the value on this place just one piece of equipment could be worth several million dollars to someone and there's millions of items. If you haven't been come check this out spend a whole day and read the signs and see the things it's truly amazing. This place just simply needs attention and care. Walking through here I just thought this place needs to be the setting for night at the Museum three for every piece of equipment an article comes to life and they would get attention and people would come from everywhere to see this place and then they would start investing in the upkeep of this place. That's my idea of saving this place for everybody to see. It's stuck in the middle of nowhere Nebraska but it's worth the drive. They literally have innovations from every generation from the 1800s to The late 1900s. Everything from cars to tractors refrigerators record players pianos furniture airplanes weapons horseshoes blacksmith and even computers. As I said I visited this place as a kid with my parents and it was fun for me to come back. Although I've talked about this place to my wife 100 times I had decided I was content with just seeing it again on YouTube and she decided to book a weekend trip and come and see this place. A 6 Hour Drive but really fun and worth it, although a disappointment to see how some of the buildings are needing attention it's all about the mindset and the fact that one man decided to do this so that all of us could see this incredible collection of innovation. If you pay attention to some of the brands you'll see things that you recognize but the names are different meaning some products made it and some partners didn't. Sometimes The hyphen gets dropped, company names changes as the partner get out'd. They try their best to do chronological order of innovation and technology. And that's where you can see somebody looking at a product and saying I think I can do it better and then making their own. Brands that you don't see because they didn't make it or they got bought by the competitor. But all about the dream of making it big or making it better. I just realized my previous review was incomplete. My idea for making this place "Great Again". Is for this to be the setting for the next "Night at the museum" movie saga. As the normal theme of the movie the characters and items come alive at night. I mean this place has some incredibly stories. The movie set here would drive people back here and create an new interest in this place. Drive money back into the restoration of the buildings and facilities. I think it would be a hit and people will come from everywhere to see this place again

Extensive collection of memorabilia! Make sure you plan to stay the whole day from open to close because there is a lot to take in and look at. It is wonderful that someone is still trying to preserve history and a great place to support! A great place to look in the window of the past.

More things to look at then you can see in two days; close to downtown with many shops; easy access from US 6 & 34 and Nebraska 10; large campgrounds

There is something to interest everyone at Pioneer Village. It truly is a monument to American history, up to about 1970. There are several buildings housing cars, arranged by manufacturer in chronological order. Few of the cars are of stunning museum quality, but many are interesting, including the Ford Custom 500 that was used exclusively as a shuttle between Pioneer Village and the Minden airport. If you are traveling across I-80, this is well worth your while to stop by for a couple of hours.

This is a very cool museum. Huge collections. My favorites are the old wagons and tools the pioneers used. They have a great collection of old cars, too. Really fascinating. I wish they'd maintain it better. The rumor floating around is that the owner doesn't care about the place and is letting it fall into disrepair. There's a small restaurant/ ice cream shop that was closed, despite the crowd on the day I visited. I hope they sell to someone a little more passionate about America's history. My other criticism is the lack of Native American history and other folks of color.

Don't let the tired run down exterior of this place fool you. We spent 4 1/2 hours here and stopped only because we were dog tired. This place has literally one of everything. From an original Sikorsky to a mud hut. At the time we visited, there was a broom maker in the craft shop in the back. Genghis Kahn poison arrows. Extensive motorized anything from farm equipment to cars to household appliances and even an iron lung. This place needs a lot of upkeep so who knows how long this collection will last without extensive curating. A true treasure in the middle of southern Nebraska. This should've become a destination vacation site with so much to do around here history wise. Updating RV park would help a lot and best thing for motel is to tear it down and put in attractive parking lot or Pioneer Display and corn/maize/sunflower field and extend RV park.

A neat place with LOTS to see spanning decades of life 1820's to early 70's. Brings back memories for us older folks. Sadly a lot of deferred maintance is showing at this attraction for who have visited before. Not busy during off season but buildings cold and restrooms closed. Self placed and you need at least an hour min and could spend several hours or do not stop. Young kids, under 12, might be bored.

Spent a couple hours here - could have spent all day and not seen everything. Must have been a labor of love for Harold Warp (who apparently made his fortune making plastic windows and plastic wrap); he attended grade school in the restored school house located in the Pioneer Village (restored buildings, mostly local, from the 1800s) behind the museum building, which forms the heart of the collection. But there's so much more. It's almost overwhelming in scope. Antique and historic cars, trains, planes, dolls, art, pop-culture ephemera, farm implements, kitchen appliances - and more cars, and what must be the world's larges collection of ball-point pens. It's well worth the trip.

I've been to many museums in many parts of the country, but this non-profit, locally supported museum in the middle of nowhere has got to be one of my favorites. The vast collection of items from razors to automobiles, dolls to furniture, engines to books, and so on and so on, is jaw-dropping. I don't know if I have ever visited a museum that houses such a large amount of so many things. There are authentic artifacts from President Lincoln's sugar bowl to Genghis Khan's arrows and quiver to a traveling entertainment wagon that housed the company that young Fred Astaire danced for. There's an interesting section for every kind of person, whether you like planes, fashion, hunting, engineering, or art. I could honestly spend an entire day here reading the extensive descriptions of items - most which include original photographs or newspaper clippings - and exploring the immersive village of a general store, church, sod house, school, firehouse, and much more. Some of the shelves are dusty, parts of the ceiling are water-stained, and some of the buildings are dilapidated. I do not believe this is due to lack of care by the owners but lack of funding. This is something to remember whilst visiting. I can't wait to take everyone I know to this amazing museum!

Stopped by on a trip back to Nebraska (my home state) for a family wedding! Forgot how magical this place is and it was fun to experience it with my own kids (elementary school aged)! Such an amazing collection of history and we enjoyed several hours checking out all of the cool exhibits! Pioneer Village offers a lot of hands on opportunities which is great for the kids! Hope we can continue to preserve places like this for future generations - there aren't many of them out there anymore!

This is an awesome museum. 20 acres, 28 buildings, and over 50,000 items. I really enjoyed seeing the steam powered tractors, an actual sod house, antique farm equipment, Pony Express cabin with a saddle used by Buffalo Bill, and all the cars. This museum is so well organized. Definitely follow the arrows painted on the cement to effectively navigate so you can see everything without missing anything and without having to double back. There is something for everyone. I highly recommend this museum.

So, disappointed! I'm sure Harold Warp is so disappointed that the owner is letting this place fall apart! It's true there is an amazing amount of history displayed but it is not being taken care of and will eventually so rot away. Who ever is managing the place needs to sell it to someone that really cares about history. Maybe he/she can move the stuff to a place where is will be preserved for many generations to come! Shame on the current owners!!!!

It's been years since I was here. I remember it from my childhood and wanted to go back again. It's a bit neglected in that some of the out buildings need some sprucing up and some of the exhibits could be updated. That aside it was worth the trip. The staff was very polite and friendly. There is a covered wagon, carriages, cars from the beginning up to the 70's and a lot of cars! Three buildings for that auto buff that would like to see some of the more unusual and uncommon models. They are not all in pristine condition but were donated. There's air planes, trolleys, motor bikes, a yacht, clothing styles, displays of room through the centuries, guns and rifles, farm equipment. You can see a one room school house, a sod house, a church, post office, pony express building, steam train, and numerous other collections. It will easily take all day! There isn't any places to eat inside except in the summer they have an ice cream shop. They do stamp your hand and you can leave, grab a bite of lunch and return to finish. It is full of history all started by one man's desire to save history and share it.

Super cool museum. So many things to see, So many place to check! If you like "Deadwood" show or any kind of western movie or TV show or books whatever, this museum is the place you must visit! - if you happen to be near Omaha :) I usually get super tired whenever I go to museum like SF MOMA :) but this museum is so real, there wasn't anytime to get tired or bored. Great with children!

Wow, this museum has everything you could imagine. Tons of cars, farm machinery, furniture, old west wagons & stagecoaches, china, old schoolhouse, church, etc. dating back to the 1800's, 28 buildings in all. Just when you think you've seen it all, something else shows up, for instance, several old snowmobiles. I'd say we were there over 3 hrs, and we went through some things a little quicker due to time restraints. All in all, it was definitely worth seeing.

We stopped at Pioneer Village on 9/5/18 and spent the night in the campground. While the sites are older, they were clean and well kept. We have a 30' trailer and the site easily accommodated it plus our truck. There were 30 and 50 amp electric services and water hookups. There was also a dump station and trash dumpster. We had absolutely no issues here and loved our stay. We spent one full day in Pioneer Village and were absolutely AMAZED at the collections we found. If you get the chance you MUST stop there! Yes, time is taking its toll on the buildings but the exhibits are wonderful and well worth the visit. There truly is something for everyone to see and it makes you wonder how in the world the family was able to collect SO MUCH in one lifetime? Spread the word - we cannot afford to lose this gem!!!

I guess I didn't do enough research on Pioneer Village NOW; I went on my memory of what it was in 1984. It is a total disappointment. There are too many items crammed together without readable identification, the buildings and sidewalks are deteriorating, and it is even difficult to find. The parking lot is atrocious, and the cost is high for what is there. It was the biggest disappointment of our trip.

This strange piece of Americana is advertised in road-side signs all over Nebraska. Built by Harold Warp, a early plastics inventor and prolific collector of buildings, trains, cars, motorhomes, and just about anything else, this surprisingly sprawling facility is packed with things to see. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of walking through this place with my Grandfather, (an old farmer) and listening to him tell me stories about the varied items we saw there. Sometimes characterized as a tourist trap, I always enjoyed visiting Pioneer Village, where my childish wonderment made warm memories years later.

This is a must stop! The collection amassed here is amazing. This is the history of America presented neatly and well organized. We stumbled on this accidentally and wished we had planned to allow more time to tour the 26+ buildings. The buildings do need some maintenance so tell your friends about this place to help them keep it going. You won't be disappointed.

We read about Pioneer Village in a AAA magazine, and had been wanting to visit for a few years now. Pioneer Village is an easy drive off of I-80 (about 10 miles). We camped the first evening, which was nice except for the rain. The campgrounds are not used that often, and you will need to have a camp stove as they do not offer grills or fire pits. This is one suggestion I would make to the Pioneer Village Foundation - they should offer grills to folks who forget to bring a camp stove. The bath house has bathrooms and showers (for free), so that is nice and convenient. Bring your flip flops! After our first evening was rained out, we got a room in the Pioneer Village motel. It was a little pricey at $64.50, but the room was spacious with 2 full size beds and a sitting area with an older table and 2 chairs. The bathroom had a separate bathtub/toilet area with door, then sink with large counter area, and a large closet space. The beds were more comfortable than I expected. Soft, but not too soft, and not squeaky. The sheets and towels were clean. The sink in the bathroom had a water stain, but I didn't think that was a big deal. The carpet was probably the original carpet, and the decorations were also probably original. I would recommend staying here for the convenience of being close to Pioneer Village. The motel was quiet (we didn't hear any of the other guests at night, and we stayed on the second floor), but you do hear the train as Pioneer Village is very close to the train tracks and the trains run through here every 4 hours it seems. The building is non smoking, but it does have an old smell in the entry way. We ate breakfast one morning at the restaurant, and that was barely tolerable. I would not recommend it, though, if you have any other options. The eggs were watery, the coffee not very good, the pancakes rubbery. The bacon was all right. But for the value, I think you could do better at Subway with a breakfast sandwich, or anywhere else for that matter. The real attraction at Pioneer Village is the museum and the buildings and the collections of things (and this is what I give 4 stars to - the restaurant doesn't get any stars, and the motel gets 1 star). I would recommend visiting on a holiday when there is a special event happening. We visited for the 4th of July with our young son, and it was so much fun. A band played traditional 4th of July music, there were simple games for the kids, and they served free cake to everyone. The main building has a lot of different vehicles, clothing, and other things I didn't get a chance to see. Highlights are the things kids can climb on: a cable car, an electric trolley, and a motor boat from the 1940s. My son also enjoyed watching the equipment move (a few of the displays let you push a button a watch things move). The village itself is nice to walk around and explore the buildings. Favorites of ours include the firehouse with old fire engine, train station with an engine and caboose you can climb on, the sod house, the old one room school house, and the pony express station. There are other buildings surrounding the village that contain an amazing amount of things - many more old cars, a very interesting old bicycle exhibit, and bedrooms, kitchens, and family rooms from about 1900 to 1950 or 1980. The carousel was not running, and it is not clear when it will be running as they need to rebuild the boiler to be up to modern standards. One of the workers said that they are raising money to do this, so it will be a while. I think they need to raise $10,000 to do this. Maybe you would help them out? :) We rented one of the buggy's each day for my son - a great value at only $1! This was nice as we didn't have a stroller and my son got tired. Also, there is a throw the horse shoe on the hook game my son enjoyed. I wish Pioneer Village had more games for the kids, and even a play ground area to make it more family friendly. One nice touch is that all of the trees have signs on them so you can learn the trees! There is a lot of walking, and many of the buildings have stairs but no elevators. There are restrooms around the village, and water fountains. Some buildings have snack machines and soda machines, too. We had a simple lunch one day from the little ice cream parlor / snack shop. The cheeseburger was better than I expected, actually, so I would recommend that if you like simple burgers. My son had the corn dog, which looked a little dry. Overall, I felt transported back in time, and would recommend the museum and village to people who are interested in these sorts of things. It is a fascinating collection, and the people who work at the village care about the place and their jobs. You can see it in a day, but we took two leisurely days to see everything.

I went here over 20 years ago and just went back today. It was a very weird feeling and a blast from the past as nothing has changed. But regardless it was a great experience again and I'll return again in another 10 years to see if anything changes. I do recommend this place to anyone thinking of it. Give it a try at least once. And it's a great place for families. I would love to see a remodel.

I was amazed by the collection! So many items! I was so impressed by the amount of effort and money that was put into this place by Harold Warp. But I was equally disappointed by the maintenance and updating of the collection since then. If you want to see what an attraction like this looked like in the 60's or 70's - go here - because it hasn't changed much I'm sure. I feel the the staff is doing the best they can, but I'm afraid this place seems to be slowly headed for closure someday. It probably doesn't help that it is in Minden, Nebraska instead of a more populated area. But if you are close by, give it a look for a few hours - well worth it.

Pioneer Village is a great collection of history, the facility has a huge collection of cars and vehicles, displays of homes over the decades, many old buildings like a general store, horse barn, church. Really cool china collection, expansive collections of pipes and carvings and salt and pepper shakers ect. A lot of horse items and tack, wagons, and a fantastic custom saddle set, a lot of guns. LOTS of little displays that are just as fascinating as the large items advertised. I could easily spend a whole day in this place and I've been to many, many museums in my day. The collection of items is awesome but the whole place in general is slowly falling apart- its a shame because I cannot imagine how much the contents are worth of this place. Definitely worth the visit.

I've been here 6 times. The place is falling apart. No heat anywhere, half the lights didn't work. Dirty, and falling apart. They are in trouble. It's too bad, this was once one of my favorite places on Earth. It was a Saturday and I kid you not, there were only 10 people in the whole place. The place needs a major overhaul. I suggest you look up articles on their financial problems and the lack of cooperation with the city of Minden. This is a sad story

An astonishing array of historical items and a very unique layout. Great for the grandparents and kids who love history. However, the motel is dated and the museum needs some updating.

I have been to this museum twice. The first time I was young and my Grandparents wanted to bring me here. I was still really young and didn't really appreciate the true value of the place. Most recently, on a trip back from Lincoln, NE, my wife and I stopped by here. I don't think a thing had changed in the probably 15 years between visits, and that's the best part about it. This museum grounds is packed full of everything from the past. From old gas engines, tractors, cars, old one-room buildings, kitchen stuff, literally there is one of everything somewhere at this museum. I think the cost was around $10 a person, and its a self-guided tour back in time. It's well worth the cost. The only rough thing for us was that it was 20 degrees outside, and most of the buildings don't have heat (it would cost way too much). That still didn't stop us, we still spent three hours pretty much running through everything. Its only a few miles off of I-80, and really is worth the time and money you spend. I plan to stop here again next time I have the chance!

Photography and tripods are allowed, video and large camera bags are not. There's an amazing collection of old carriages, cars, aircraft, cash registers, farm machinery, and much else. I spent one full day and saw perhaps a third. Items are close together, and most areas are fairly dark. Most aircraft are hung from the ceiling, so they can be seen only from below.

Enjoyed touring the village. Lots to see, take your time. Was disappointed in the entrance fee. Stuhr museum in Grand Island much cheaper and better kept. I would go back but reduce the prices!! Also clean it up a little , lots of cob webs

Great place to see history.... You will definitely spend a few hours here. Great for anyone that's really into old machinery or cars. Doesn't seem like they have as many items as they did when I was a kid. Be prepared to walk all day!